Rule One
by Lawliet Veneziano
Summary: Five stories of Ranger with Ranger relationships and the reason why rule one is the way it is... (multipairing story: Billy/OC, Cole/OC, Tommy/Kat, Merrick/Kim, Jason/Trini, Andros/Alyssa, implied past Tommy/Kim, implied past Merrick/Shayla)


Exhibit A: Jason and Trini:

Being a high school student was hard enough as it was, with homework and tests and all those early morning wakeups to go do things that even doctors agreed were better left for later in the day. But adding to it extracurricular activities, it was almost as if asking for a population of students to want to lay down and die right where they stood. But most struggled through, primarily because they didn't wish to miss the next test then if they die and jeopardize their grades.

The Power Rangers of Angel Grove though? They had it worse; added to extracurriculars, homework, tests, classes they taught, events they helped out with at the Youth Center, chores at home and for one various inventions to work on and experiments to run, they had to save the day, occasionally more than once a week. Admittedly not often but a constant vigilance was needed and that tended to put a strain on the nerves of anyone, not to mention someone not even fully developed mentally or physically.

Today was one of those days when being a Ranger became a problem; Jason Lee Scott, Red Ranger, was late for school and all because of a late night attack on the part of Rita Repulsa and her cohorts. The Rangers had of course won, a far gone conclusion, but in the process more than a little sleep was lost which unfortunately the body of the martial artist refused to let occur. So instead of six O'clock as usual he had found himself shaken awake by his mother at roughly eight being yelled at that he was going to be late for school. This was very shocking, and to a degree disappointing as he had wanted to get some training in before school, but still he got up, quickly took a shower and got dressed, devoured his breakfast within seconds and tried running out the door. He knew he'd still be late, there were no more buses, his father had already taken the car and hone to work, leaving him with the thirty minute brisk walk if not fifteen minute run to school; he would be late, get in trouble, get detention, and have to deal with that. He only hoped that his team, especially a part of his mind thought Trini his yellow ranger and much more, had been able to get to school on time.

So when he did exit the house and approached the street he was equally pleased and concerned to see a car parked outside and the beautiful Asian he'd just been thinking about standing by it, motioning for him to quickly get in, "Come on Jason!"

Jason didn't hesitate; speedily he ran over and climbed in, buckling his seatbelt as Trini did the same and got the car tuning again. Unable to help a smile, his first of the day, he leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Thanks Trini."

And she smiled too, "You're welcome cutie."

(Time One: Your fellow Rangers would know when you probably would end up oversleeping because of a monster attack and your beloved would be more than happy to be late to school with you)

Exhibit B: Tommy and Kat

Dating also tended to be very hit or miss at the teenage years. The awkwardness of asking someone out in the first place, the first date that somehow always was either a disaster or amazing, the following if any dates where time tables had to be consulted and sometimes deals with the devil had to be made just to get one day the two of you can jointly have all to yourselves in hopes of one date that may not even go anywhere. The fact that so many put themselves through it anyway, for a chance at affection and companionship could be called admirable, or a sign of insanity.

Either way adding once more Ranger duties to it the process often became more messy. Tommy Oliver, White Ranger and current leader, had finally gotten that one day to spend with his current girlfriend; between karate classes, school, and her own things, Tommy and Katherine Hillard had had more than a little trouble matching up. Actually the last real date they had had not at the Juice Bar had been a month before and while most adults would scoff at that, a month could be a long time to a teenager. But no matter now, he had his chance; he went to her house to pick her up on Saturday, knocking on the door to have the pretty blonde answer the door in a pretty pink dress, very suitable for the pink ranger really. He smiled at her and offered her his hand in his charming way; she smiled at him and took it and the two teens were soon on their way, off to spend what was finally a day all to themselves.

They got through most of a few hours, just hanging and doing a little shopping, managing to make their way towards the movie theater when they first heard the screams. Never a good sign; a few people ran by and there was laughter as something resembling a giant animate frying pan with arms and legs came down the street, attacking people with….more frying pans. Tommy stopped for a moment to think how stupid Lord Zedd's monsters seemed to be getting before shaking his head and turning to Kat; from the expression on her face it was obvious what she was thinking.

Same as him; pulling her along the two found a safe, and somewhat hidden, spot for them both before they took out their morphers and morphed into the Power Rangers. Admittedly this was not what either had wanted for a date when they had planned this day, or even when they got up this morning, but as the White Ranger looked at his Pink ally, a smile crossed his face anyway and the two rushed at the strange monster. Because it may not be perfect or normal, anywhere near either, but as long as the two were together it was good enough, plus they could always try to finish the date after getting rid of this newest nuisance.

(Time two: Dates will be interrupted but to tell the truth it will seem much less annoying or important when you know your date will have to leave too because of the exact same reason.)

Exhibit C: Cole and Alexandra

Enemies often attack whenever they feel like it; it is not a matter of a set schedule really nor was it really very predictable. Sometimes it was best to assume that they could attack at any second and to not let your guard down. It could be days, it could be weeks, but the only real constant was that when they do attack it is important to stay alert and ready.

This was far from the actual problem this time though; an Org struck the city, the Wild Force Rangers struck back. Danny came charging in from a date with Kendall, Max ran back from bowling; Taylor had been during her usual jog but was always on guard and Alyssa a bit hesitantly skipped the rest of a wonderful lecture on dinosaurs being done by a visiting expert to join the fight. And as for their leader and the newest ranger Alexandra? The two rushed in out of nowhere together and in a beautiful joint strike brought the Org to it's knees. Cole looked at Alexandra and gave her the sort of innocent and sweet, but extremely excited, sort of grin he always did, seeming pleased with their teamwork. Despite the fact that neither could see with their helmets on that the other was smiling, Alexandra did smile in return but noticed the Org getting up and readying to attack the currently unaware Cole.

"Watch out!" Max yelled.

"Behind you!" Taylor warned.

Cole turned to see the monster about to bring down its strike but Alexandra got in the way, taking the hit for him and falling. He looked at her for a moment and though he knew, somewhere in his brain, that she would be fine, the suits protected them, he could help the surge of anger that bubbled through him. Nor could he stop himself as he attacked the creature, his attempts to destroy it doubled; the red lion ranger roared, striking out and causing his teammates more than a little concern for his safety.

Despite this reckless behavior, not entirely uncommon for the wild man, the Org did fall and Cole almost immediately then returned to help Alexandra back to her feet. "Are you okay?!"

She stood and winced a little but still managed a nod and a smile under her helmet, trying to calm and reassure her worried boyfriend. "Yeah I'm fine."

"Evil spirits of toil and strife," rang a familiar voice and the rangers all looked to the fallen Org, "Give this fallen Org new life! Ha!"

The two moved quickly as the thing returned, bigger than before; Cole turned to Alexandra once more and both nodded before all six called out, "Wild Zords, defend!"

(Time Three: Though it will hurt doubly to see a fellow Ranger be hurt, you will fight doubly hard to protect them.)

Exhibit D: Andros and Alyssa

Once more dating is hard. No one debates this. Even when you're not in high school it is hard; college takes time and sometimes even the best ships are not fast enough to outrun the flow of time…

Andros was more than a little worried as he and his team readied to strike down the newest enemy to stand against them; the Megaship had gone Megazord, they were minutes from striking their final blow and defeating it once and for all, yet his mind was elsewhere, not exactly a desirable thing when one is the Red Ranger and trying to destroy evil. But there it was; Andros was distracted and though it did nothing to stop them from destroying their enemy and winning yet another battle, when it was over and done with while the others were busy celebrating another win and being happy, the human alien made his way to the bridge, "DECA set a course for Earth."

"Affirmative," responded the computer voice and Andros went to the controls, frowning as he clenched his fists some.

"How long should it take us to get there?" He requested, knowing they were not too far from the blue planet at this point but already knowing he would hate the answer.

"Approximately two hours." Yup, he hated the answer; sighing rather loudly, though who but DECA would even hear right now, he stepped away from the controls and tried not to worry too much. Maybe she wouldn't hate him for being late, he did have a good reason…

Two hours and a few good avoidance maneuvers to not have to explain why they were going to Earth right now, Andros finally was back at the blue and green planet. They found somewhere to land and Andros without a word rushed off, leaving his ship and his friends in the forest by a roadhouse.

Entering the city itself that they had landed near he tried with some difficulty to remember where it was they were to meet. His mind was racing quite a bit and his head pounding and he reasoned later that that sort of thing of course made it difficult to think straight. Somehow though his mind managed to bring together enough coherence that he got some memory back and he was able to continue his mad dash quest.

With all that he ended up three hours and twelve minutes late to the cafe, running right up to the establishment and having to catch his breath. He was sure that she would be long gone, nursing some heartbreak over being apparently stood up when he heard a voice, "Andros!"

Turning he saw Alyssa cycling over as fast as her bike, and legs, could get. She too looked frantic and he stood up straight, thinking maybe she came back to yell at him? Ask why? Break up with him? He didn't really know but he prepared for the worst as sue came to a stop in front of him. At least he could try explaining.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, we got attacked and we had to get into a big battle and I wanted to tell you but…i….couldn't…." Both stopped and stared at each other; at the same time Andros had tried to explain and apologize, in the exact same words so had Alyssa. The two just stood there looking at each other until finally Alyssa started laughing and Andros, not too sure what was going on, smiled some.

"You too?" He asked tilting his head.

She nodded and the two walked over yo a bike rack to park her bike; Andros afterwards took her hand in his and together the two went into the cafe.

Andros did not remember until later that he could have teleported back to Turtle Cove.

(Time Four: Monster fights will make you late a lot but if you both are late because of them, even as being from different teams, it often makes one feel a thousand times better. Also do not forget you can teleport.)

Exhibit E: Merrick and Kim

Power Rangers are not always good. Often the most powerful and useful of the bunch find themselves being undesirably evil; whether by spell, trick or choice, this sort of thing tends to have a lasting effect on the psyche. After all even when brought to the side of good and even when forgiven by those you once fight against and now find yourself fighting with, there is the feeling of regret and guilt that just will not leave. And sometimes if circumstances were bad enough, the effects can become something of an impediment upon normal function.

Dreams of Animaria were far from uncommon in Merrick's mind; his sleep was usually filled with such though he had to admit to having lost some of that need to reminisce as much when he had met Kimberly. But still some nights he simply could not avoid the memories and some nights they were far from friendly.  
Tonight he did not simply dream of his old home, that beautiful kingdom of peace and harmony, but of his past actions. He saw himself put on Zen-Aku's mask, he saw himself fight Master Org and attack his old friends and all the darkest things, yet more; he remembered attacking the current Rangers, his new friends, his new team. Hurting Alyssa and Taylor and Max as he took their Zords, and then using them against the Rangers; there was no doubt in his heart what he had done was unforgiveable, unexplainable. And he tossed and turned, almost thrashing in bed as he remembered what he wished to forget.

He felt almost lost in it when he felt a warmth and was pulled back by something, a voice calling to him in the mist and a familiar touch returning him to the waking world.

Opening his eyes with a start he looked up to see a worried face looking down on him; he was not in Animaria, not even the Animarium. It was a room, dimly lit by fire light, giving a glow to everything in the darkness of the night. Including her; Kimberly Hart stared down at him, waiting for him to say something, anything, but ultimately all he did, for the moment, was wrap his arms around her and chug her close. It was a strange sort of sight, the ancient warrior, usually so brave and strong, now clinging to a girl, a young woman still in school. Yet to both it was not uncommon, Merrick had these dreams and Kim understood them; the guilt of his actions sometimes consumed him and when they did she was happy to stand by him. Because she knew; she understood the feeling of guilt by ones actions, being made to do something you would not normally. Though never sealed nor truly able to harm other Rangers, Kim understood that it was not something one can talk to just anyone about. Because there was a code governing silence to outsiders. Because there was a need to keep appearing at least to be strong. Because a Power Ranger may save the world and save the day bit in the end they always seemed to have to save themselves as well.

She would not allow that though and gently she stroked his hair, sang to him, let him be calmed by the presence of the one he choose over all others, his confidante, his love. And Merrick let her because it felt good when drowning in feelings of being incapable to let himself not have to be strong for even just a moment.

(Time Five: There is guilt and regret and always will be, but when you can't talk to anyone else, its nice to know your nightmares will be ended by someone who knows even a fraction of the fear.)

Exception

It was very rare if not for the most part unheard of for more than one team of Rangers to be needed for one fight. They were after all teams of five, six, for a reason, to allow for just about any monster of theirs to not stand a chance with the right combination. But it did happen and when it did it was nice to know more than your own personal team has your back.

This battle though had been harder than most expected; a single, rather annoying and very dangerous, monster from Rita had somehow became two when Toxica and her magic got involved. The identical duo had then proceeded to wreck all sorts of havoc and the combined might of three teams had been necessary to stop them. But the event had been long and grueling and afterwards the eighteen rangers found themselves on the Animarium, badly hurt, aching all over and only passingly happy that in the end they had succeeded and won.

Added to this was of course tension; as couples bundled together to comfort and check on each other old feelings seemed to bubble. Merrick offered to convalescence elsewhere but Kim refused to leave his side, and he hers, and Tommy found himself drawing even closer to Kat, despite the pain movement brought, trying to not stare at the girl he had loved before and who had left him in a letter for a wolf. Princess Shayla fluttered about caring for all but there was a slight sadness when she came to her knight and they did not look at each other nor speak. As Andros winced at having his arm examined, and told it was likely only going to bruise, Ashley watched with a sad look, shook her head then tended to her own wounds.

In one corner the blue ranger Billy Cranston sat, tenderly attempting to stand only to fail and fall; he bit back a cry of pain, not wishing to be the weakest one there, and closed his eyes for a moment as he heard a voice, worried, "Billy!"

He opened his eyes again; a girl came running over, long black hair pulled back into a braid, crimson eyes on him. She carried a medical kit in one hand and as she reached him the woman leaned down, checking over him. Worry and concern and a tinge of anger and far more relief, that was what made up her expression. "Oh god Billy, look at you."

He smiled lightly and watched as she opened her kit and started pulling things out, tending to the marks on his arms first. She held his hand and he found himself squeezing it, interrupting her as she tiraded at him for getting hurt; she looked at him.

"You're okay, Tsuki." Was all he said and she gave a confused look then shook her head.

"Of course I am, you dork," she said with a slightly playful tone, "I'm not the one who fought two monsters at the same time. Honestly if not for the suits…"

She stopped there and Billy could see her lip quivering a bit, then her bite it and look down. And though it did hurt to move he pulled her close, hugging Tsuki. She said his name, confused, but he didn't respond at first, just holding her.

"I'm glad you're okay." Billy didn't mind the pain, getting beaten up, getting injured; what mattered was that Tsuki was safe. He was a Power Ranger, sworn to protect earth, but what Billy wanted most was to protect her, to keep safe the one he cared for most in the world. For her he fought twice as hard, worked twice as well to make sure everything would be okay. And though he admired the relationships of his friends, the benefits of being with another Ranger, he still thought his was the very best, because she was there for him even if she didn't always completely understand the pain he had, and she didn't mind having a date cut short by a monster. And Tsuki sometimes was late too because she accidentally teleported to the wrong city, country or planet, and she was happy to be late to school if it meant he wouldn't have to be alone. But above all else when fights happened and danger comes, where all the Rangers stood and got hurt together, Billy at least would know he'd never have to see her hurt too.

(Rule One: Never let benefit or convenience decide who you are with but your heart instead. Because in the end even a non-Ranger or non-mentor can understand and love you just as you are.)


End file.
